April 29 (Bloomberg) -- A U.S. nuclear submarine is making
a port call in Singapore as the Navy showcases its ability to
operate in shallow coastal waters after questions about the
fitness of its Littoral Combat Ship for use in Asia.

The Virginia-class USS North Carolina was designed with
littoral combat in mind, particularly for special operations and
anti-mine warfare, its commanding officer Richard Rhinehart told
reporters yesterday. It is the submarine’s second visit to the
region since its commissioning ceremony in 2008.

U.S. Navy officers in the Pacific fleet have raised
concerns that the Littoral Combat Ship may lack the speed, range
and electronic-warfare capabilities to operate in the vast Asian
waters. President Barack Obama, who made a week-long trip to the
region to shore up ties with key allies, has said the U.S. would
protect East China Sea islands administered by Japan that are
claimed by China and reaffirmed defense treaty obligations with
the Philippines, embroiled in a dispute with China in the South
China Sea.

“This is not the first Virginia-class to deploy to the
region,” said Commander Rhinehart. “This does, however,
represent a continued effort by the U.S. to send the best
technology and capabilities into the Pacific theater.”

The North Carolina, which has been on its current
deployment for four months, is the first class of submarine
equipped with a periscope system consisting of two photonics
masts with infrared and laser range-finding capability that
makes it suitable for littoral waters, Rhinehart said. It can
launch torpedoes and Tomahawk land attack missiles, has counter-mine capabilities and a nine-man lockout chamber to allow
swimmers to exit, he said.

GAO Report

The Littoral Combat Ship, designed to operate in coastal
waters, “might be better suited to operations” in the smaller
Persian Gulf, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in
a report obtained by Bloomberg News this month. The Navy should
consider buying fewer of the ships if its limitations prevent
effective use in the Pacific, the report said, following others
that have questioned the cost, mission and survivability in
combat of the ship.

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in a Feb. 24 memo
that “considerable reservations” led him to bar negotiations
for any more than 32 of the vessels, 20 fewer than called for in
the Navy’s $34 billion program. The Littoral Combat Ship is made
in two versions by Lockheed Martin Corp. and Austal Ltd.

Operating in shallow waters is a bigger challenge because
there are more objects for sound to bounce off, the mix of salt
water and fresh water can cause changes in buoyancy, and there
is a greater likelihood of encountering other ships such as
fishing vessels, Rhinehart said.

Projecting Power

The U.S. Navy will probably keep buying Littoral Combat
Ships because it doesn’t really have an alternative, according
to Richard Bitzinger, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam
School of International Studies in Singapore who focuses on
regional military issues.

“One of the reason why they’re building Littoral Combat
Ships is to give them the ability to project power from the
water close to land,” he said. “Asia’s important, Southeast
Asia in particular is important, and the United States is going
to be demonstrating its intention to stay here.”

Obama Visits

Tensions in Asia have been on the rise as China asserts its
military muscle and presses claims to territory and resources.
In November, China prompted criticism from the U.S., South Korea
and Japan after it announced an air defense identification zone
over a large part of the East China Sea. In January, it
introduced fishing rules in the South China Sea requiring
foreign vessels to seek permission before entering waters off
its southern coast.

China will make “no compromise, no concessions” in such
disputes and is ready to fight and win any battle, General Chang
Wanquan said on April 8 in Beijing.

China has said central government defense spending will
rise 12.2 percent this year to 808.2 billion yuan ($129.3
billion), at a time the Pentagon is cutting back, proposing a
budget for the coming fiscal year of $495.6 billion and to
reduce the Army’s personnel by 6 percent by 2015. China’s
increased budget threatens to end U.S. military superiority,
Frank Kendall, under secretary of defense for acquisition,
technology and logistics, said Feb. 11.

Counter, Contain

Obama, speaking on April 24 after a meeting in Tokyo with
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said a security treaty
between the U.S. and Japan covers “all territory that is
administered by Japan.” The commitment to defend the area is
longstanding and he was not drawing a new “red line” with
China over the issue, Obama said.

Yesterday, the Philippines and the U.S. signed an agreement
that will boost the rotational American troop presence in the
Southeast Asian nation.

The U.S. is seeking to work cooperatively with China in the
region, Obama said at a briefing in Manila with Philippine
President Benigno Aquino. “Our goal is not to counter China,
our goal is not to contain China,” he said. “Our goal is to
make sure that international rules and norms are respected and
that includes in the area of maritime disputes.”

“We have a lot of regional allies,” said the North
Carolina’s Commander Rhinehart. “The entire Asia area is very
important and we’re here with our partner nations trying to
promote security and the rights of all nations large and
small.”